The unelected Yorkshire and Humber Assembly's rethink on its decision to deny Bradford people a voice over its Regional Spatial Strategy - which proposes that 30,000 new homes be built in the district - is the only proper response to the widespread anger the plan provoked.

It is such a serious matter that there should never have been any question of Bradford people not being allowed to say what they think about it. That there should be a need for such a vast number of new homes in the district has been greatly disputed. Even if it can be demonstrated that the figure is remotely near the mark, it is vitally important that as much new building as possible is on brownfield sites.

The initial decision to rule out a public meeting in Bradford must raise concerns about the idea of the Assembly behaving like a body which has the power to impose plans on the population of a unitary authority like Bradford without seeking their opinion.

It is like regional government by the back door. This is how we predicted that an elected regional assembly would behave - making plans and pushing them through without consultation.

Let us hope that as many Bradford people as possible attend the public meeting and make their views known. Those who are unable to be there in person would be well advised to write or e-mail to the Assembly to make it clear that they want to govern themselves, not be told what is going to happen to their district by an outside body.

And the Assembly should abandon its backdoor tactics and listen to the concerns raised.